Bloomingdale Playground

Formerly known as P.S. 145 Playground, this parkland was renamed in 1997 to reflect the rich history of the area. The Upper West Side was named Bloomingdale by 17th century Dutch and Flemish settlers after a town near Haarlem in the Netherlands. The word “bloomingdale” is an adaptation of the Dutch word “bloomendaal,” or “vale of flowers,” which reflected the geography of the area before it was leveled and developed. In Knickerbocker’s History of New York, Washington Irving described the area as “a sweet rural valley, beautiful with many a bright flower, refreshed by many a pure streamlet, and enlivened here and there by a delectable little Dutch cottage, sheltered under some sloping hill; and almost buried in embowering trees.”